USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region will receive approximately $85 million to recover and restore national forests, watersheds, and communities impacted by 2020 and 2021 wildfires.
The funding is a share of the $1.36 billion of supplemental appropriations provided to the Forest Service through the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act of 2021. The act provided a total of $28.6 billion in new supplemental appropriations for disaster relief recovery to federal agencies.
Approximately $85 million in disaster funding will be allocated to national forests and grasslands in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, with the majority going to Colorado and Wyoming. Funds will be used to repair infrastructure and natural resources damaged by the 2020 and 2021 Grizzly Creek, Sylvan, Cameron Peak, East Troublesome, Calwood, Williams Fork, Mullen, and Middle Fork wildfires on the Arapaho, Roosevelt, Medicine-Bow, Routt, and White River National Forests in Colorado and Wyoming. National forests and grasslands in Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota will receive funding for disaster recovery research.
Of the $85 million:
* $34 million will be allocated to capital improvement and maintenance projects, including repairing roads, recreation facilities, and trails damaged by wildfires.
* $48 million will be allocated to projects on national forests, including post-fire recovery activities such as range improvements, revegetation, and watershed restoration.
* $2 million will be allocated to state and private forestry programs to support partners in restoring private lands affected by wildfires.
* $1 million will be allocated to research and development activities, such as disaster recovery research and the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, the nation’s forest census, to complete delayed data collection and program delivery work because of wildfires and the pandemic.
There are three phases of recovery following wildfires on public lands: fire suppression repair, emergency stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER), and long-term recovery and restoration. Fire suppression repair is a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression activities. BAER is a rapid assessment of burned watersheds by a BAER team to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands and immediate actions that follow to implement emergency stabilization measures before the fire area receives moisture. Long-term recovery and restoration utilize non-emergency actions to improve fire-damaged lands that are unlikely to recover naturally.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Monday, February 21, 2022
Thursday, February 17, 2022
44 national parks set visitation records in 2021
While some of the most well-known national parks again had record visitation in 2021, numbers across the entire National Park System remained below pre-pandemic totals. These findings were released today as the National Park Service published its official annual visitation statistics for 2021.
Of 423 parks in the National Park System, just 25 received more than 50 percent of the system’s total 297.1 million recreation visits in 2021. Last year’s visitation increased by 60 million over 2020 when COVID-19 shuttered facilities in most parks for at least part of the year.
“It’s wonderful to see so many Americans continuing to find solace and inspiration in these incredible places during the second year of the pandemic,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “We’re happy to see so many visitors returning to iconic parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, but there are hundreds more that should be on everyone’s bucket list. Whatever experience you’re looking for in 2022, national parks are here to discover.”
As you plan your travel, take advantage of the search feature on the NPS website to search by state, activity and topic– you're sure to discover a hidden gem or two. Also be sure to download the NPS App from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store to find up-to-date information about all 423 national parks.
Inside the 2021 visitation report:
* Forty-four parks set a record for recreation visits in 2021.
* Six parks broke a visitation record they set in 2020.
* Blue Ridge Parkway remained the most-visited park in the National Park System.
* Great Smoky Mountains National Park set a visitation record in 2021 and passed 14 million recreation visits for the first time.
* Five parks began reporting official visitor statistics for the first time: Alagnak Wild River (Alaska), Camp Nelson National Monument (Ky.), Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument (Miss.), Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (Nev.), and World War I Memorial (District of Columbia).
* In 2021, some parks operated with limited capacities or indoor space restrictions, but most were open to visitors. Seven parks—all of them historic sites in urban areas—remained closed throughout 2021 due health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.
* Recreation visitor hours dipped from 1.43 billion in 2019 to 1.36 billion in 2021, a 5% decrease.
2021 by the numbers:
* 297,115,406 recreation visits
* 1,356,657,749 recreation visitor hours
* 12,745,455 overnight stays (recreation + non-recreation)
* Three parks had more than 10 million recreation visits – Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Golden Gate National Recreation Area
* Eleven parks had more than five million recreation visits – up from seven parks in 2020 and equal to the number of parks in 2019
* 73 parks had more than one million recreation visits (19% of reporting parks) - up from 60 parks in 2020 and down from 80 parks in 2019
* 25% of total recreation visits occurred in the top eight most-visited parks (2% of all parks in the National Park System)
* 50% of total recreation visits occurred in the top 25 most-visited parks (6% of all parks in the National Park System)
Top 10 most visited parks in the National Park System:
* Blue Ridge Parkway: 15.9 million
* Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 14.1 million
* Golden Gate National Recreation Area: 13.7 million
* Gateway National Recreation Area: 9.1 million
* Lake Mead National Recreation Area: 7.6 million
* George Washington Memorial Parkway: 6.8 million
* Natchez Trace Parkway: 6.4 million
* Lincoln Memorial: 5.8 million
* Gulf Islands National Seashore: 5.5 million
* Zion National Park: 5 million
For an in-depth look at visitation statistics, please visit the National Park Service Social Science website.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Of 423 parks in the National Park System, just 25 received more than 50 percent of the system’s total 297.1 million recreation visits in 2021. Last year’s visitation increased by 60 million over 2020 when COVID-19 shuttered facilities in most parks for at least part of the year.
“It’s wonderful to see so many Americans continuing to find solace and inspiration in these incredible places during the second year of the pandemic,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “We’re happy to see so many visitors returning to iconic parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, but there are hundreds more that should be on everyone’s bucket list. Whatever experience you’re looking for in 2022, national parks are here to discover.”
As you plan your travel, take advantage of the search feature on the NPS website to search by state, activity and topic– you're sure to discover a hidden gem or two. Also be sure to download the NPS App from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store to find up-to-date information about all 423 national parks.
Inside the 2021 visitation report:
* Forty-four parks set a record for recreation visits in 2021.
* Six parks broke a visitation record they set in 2020.
* Blue Ridge Parkway remained the most-visited park in the National Park System.
* Great Smoky Mountains National Park set a visitation record in 2021 and passed 14 million recreation visits for the first time.
* Five parks began reporting official visitor statistics for the first time: Alagnak Wild River (Alaska), Camp Nelson National Monument (Ky.), Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument (Miss.), Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument (Nev.), and World War I Memorial (District of Columbia).
* In 2021, some parks operated with limited capacities or indoor space restrictions, but most were open to visitors. Seven parks—all of them historic sites in urban areas—remained closed throughout 2021 due health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.
* Recreation visitor hours dipped from 1.43 billion in 2019 to 1.36 billion in 2021, a 5% decrease.
2021 by the numbers:
* 297,115,406 recreation visits
* 1,356,657,749 recreation visitor hours
* 12,745,455 overnight stays (recreation + non-recreation)
* Three parks had more than 10 million recreation visits – Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Golden Gate National Recreation Area
* Eleven parks had more than five million recreation visits – up from seven parks in 2020 and equal to the number of parks in 2019
* 73 parks had more than one million recreation visits (19% of reporting parks) - up from 60 parks in 2020 and down from 80 parks in 2019
* 25% of total recreation visits occurred in the top eight most-visited parks (2% of all parks in the National Park System)
* 50% of total recreation visits occurred in the top 25 most-visited parks (6% of all parks in the National Park System)
Top 10 most visited parks in the National Park System:
* Blue Ridge Parkway: 15.9 million
* Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 14.1 million
* Golden Gate National Recreation Area: 13.7 million
* Gateway National Recreation Area: 9.1 million
* Lake Mead National Recreation Area: 7.6 million
* George Washington Memorial Parkway: 6.8 million
* Natchez Trace Parkway: 6.4 million
* Lincoln Memorial: 5.8 million
* Gulf Islands National Seashore: 5.5 million
* Zion National Park: 5 million
For an in-depth look at visitation statistics, please visit the National Park Service Social Science website.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Temporary Closures In Lumpy Ridge And Loch Vale Areas Begin February 15 To Protect Nesting Raptors
Each year to protect raptor nesting sites, Rocky Mountain National Park officials initiate temporary closures in areas of the park. To ensure that these birds of prey can nest undisturbed, specific areas within the park are closed temporarily to public use during nesting season and monitored by wildlife managers. Due to high nesting activity in 2020 and 2021, closures will begin again this year on February 15 rather than March 1. These closures will continue through July 31, if appropriate. These closures may be extended longer or rescinded at an earlier date depending on nesting activity.
A closure is in place in the Loch Vale area which includes Cathedral Wall. The areas above the Loch Vale-Sky Pond Trail are closed to off trail travel.
In the Lumpy Ridge area closures include Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sundance, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Bookmark Pinnacle, The Left Book, Bookmark, Twin Owls, Rock One and the Needle. These closures include the named formations. Closures include all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber access trails to the named rock formations. Check the park’s website at www.nps.gov/romo/raptor-closures.htm for maps and updated information on raptor closures.
The National Park Service is committed to preserving birds of prey. If nest sites are located or territorial behaviors such as aggressive divebombing/vocalizing or birds fleeing nest sites due to human disturbance are observed, please report the general location to ROMO_Information@nps.gov.
The same cliffs that are critical for raptors also appeal to climbers. The cooperation of climbing organizations and individuals continues to be essential to the successful nesting of raptors in the park.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
A closure is in place in the Loch Vale area which includes Cathedral Wall. The areas above the Loch Vale-Sky Pond Trail are closed to off trail travel.
In the Lumpy Ridge area closures include Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sundance, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Bookmark Pinnacle, The Left Book, Bookmark, Twin Owls, Rock One and the Needle. These closures include the named formations. Closures include all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber access trails to the named rock formations. Check the park’s website at www.nps.gov/romo/raptor-closures.htm for maps and updated information on raptor closures.
The National Park Service is committed to preserving birds of prey. If nest sites are located or territorial behaviors such as aggressive divebombing/vocalizing or birds fleeing nest sites due to human disturbance are observed, please report the general location to ROMO_Information@nps.gov.
The same cliffs that are critical for raptors also appeal to climbers. The cooperation of climbing organizations and individuals continues to be essential to the successful nesting of raptors in the park.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Long-Range Day Use Visitor Access Planning In Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest national parks; third in the country in 2019, with over 4.6 million visitors. This represents a 42 percent increase in visitation in seven years, since 2012. Rapid growth in day use visitation and changing use patterns in the park have degraded natural and cultural resources, diminished quality of the visitor experience, increased negative impacts to visitor and staff safety and created a heavy strain on the park's facilities and ability to perform daily operations.
In response to these negative impacts, the park has piloted various visitor use management strategies over the last six years. From 2016-2019, this included managing vehicle access to first come, first served visitors in the highly congested areas of the Bear Lake Road corridor, the Alpine Visitor Center parking area and the Wild Basin area of the park. This strategy had some limited success initially, but over time began to lose effectiveness; the length of time they were necessary kept expanding and impacts were pushed elsewhere in the park.
Park-wide timed entry permit reservation systems were piloted in 2020-2021, and the park will be piloting a similar system again in 2022. Park staff continue to learn from these various pilots which are helping to inform long-range day use visitor access strategies. This includes developing desired conditions, defining zones, and identifying indicators, thresholds, strategies and capacities.
In May 2021, park staff held two pre-NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) virtual public meetings on the long-range day use visitor access strategy. The meetings provided opportunities to learn more about the purpose of the project, key issues, desired conditions for day use visitor access, potential management strategies, and to ask questions of National Park Service(NPS) staff. In total, 271 people attended the public meetings. A recording of the meetings were posted on the park’s You Tube channel and the PDFs of the Power Point presentation and the visitor management zones map were posted on the park’s PEPC website as well.
Public comments were invited for over sixty days beginning May 21 through July 26, 2021. During the review period, 571 correspondences were submitted to the NPS. Although the public comment period has closed for this pre-NEPA report, these webinars, including the presentation and Q & A, are available by clicking on Tuesday May 25 or Thursday May 20 (click on a date to watch a presentation - the content was the same for both meetings).
Comments were reviewed and evaluated. To learn more about the pre-NEPA long-range day use visitor access strategy, the following reports can be found on the Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ROMO_Duvas: Click on "document list"
1) An Executive Summary of the pre-NEPA Report for Day Use Visitor Access Strategy
2) A pre-NEPA Public Comment Summary for Day Use Visitor Access Strategy
3) A redacted copy of public comments submitted during the 2021 Pre-NEPA comment period
These initial public comment meetings and comment opportunities are the first step in the long-range planning process. They assist park staff in defining the issues and their impacts as well as explore possible strategies and alternatives to address those issues.
There will be more opportunities for public involvement in 2023, when the formal NEPA planning process is initiated. Park staff are eager to continue engaging park stakeholders and park visitors near and far to help identify shared values, clarify key issues, and develop potential management strategies to help the park prepare for long-term day use management.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
In response to these negative impacts, the park has piloted various visitor use management strategies over the last six years. From 2016-2019, this included managing vehicle access to first come, first served visitors in the highly congested areas of the Bear Lake Road corridor, the Alpine Visitor Center parking area and the Wild Basin area of the park. This strategy had some limited success initially, but over time began to lose effectiveness; the length of time they were necessary kept expanding and impacts were pushed elsewhere in the park.
Park-wide timed entry permit reservation systems were piloted in 2020-2021, and the park will be piloting a similar system again in 2022. Park staff continue to learn from these various pilots which are helping to inform long-range day use visitor access strategies. This includes developing desired conditions, defining zones, and identifying indicators, thresholds, strategies and capacities.
In May 2021, park staff held two pre-NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) virtual public meetings on the long-range day use visitor access strategy. The meetings provided opportunities to learn more about the purpose of the project, key issues, desired conditions for day use visitor access, potential management strategies, and to ask questions of National Park Service(NPS) staff. In total, 271 people attended the public meetings. A recording of the meetings were posted on the park’s You Tube channel and the PDFs of the Power Point presentation and the visitor management zones map were posted on the park’s PEPC website as well.
Public comments were invited for over sixty days beginning May 21 through July 26, 2021. During the review period, 571 correspondences were submitted to the NPS. Although the public comment period has closed for this pre-NEPA report, these webinars, including the presentation and Q & A, are available by clicking on Tuesday May 25 or Thursday May 20 (click on a date to watch a presentation - the content was the same for both meetings).
Comments were reviewed and evaluated. To learn more about the pre-NEPA long-range day use visitor access strategy, the following reports can be found on the Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ROMO_Duvas: Click on "document list"
1) An Executive Summary of the pre-NEPA Report for Day Use Visitor Access Strategy
2) A pre-NEPA Public Comment Summary for Day Use Visitor Access Strategy
3) A redacted copy of public comments submitted during the 2021 Pre-NEPA comment period
These initial public comment meetings and comment opportunities are the first step in the long-range planning process. They assist park staff in defining the issues and their impacts as well as explore possible strategies and alternatives to address those issues.
There will be more opportunities for public involvement in 2023, when the formal NEPA planning process is initiated. Park staff are eager to continue engaging park stakeholders and park visitors near and far to help identify shared values, clarify key issues, and develop potential management strategies to help the park prepare for long-term day use management.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Monday, February 7, 2022
Rocky Mountain National Park Hosting Virtual "Science Behind the Scenery" Webinar Series
Rocky Mountain National Park and Rocky Mountain Conservancy are co-hosting a virtual "Science Behind the Scenery" webinar series in lieu of the park's traditional Biennial Research Conference. Beginning on February 15, 2022, this webinar series will be taking place on Tuesdays from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm MST from February 15 to March 15, 2022. The webinar series will be available online via GoToWebinar.
Online registration for the webinar series is currently open. This webinar series is free and open to the public.
Rocky Mountain National Park hosts one of the largest research programs in the National Park Service, with nearly 100 research permits active each year. Park research partners come from other federal agencies, the State of Colorado, and universities around the world.
Each webinar will focus on one resource topic. Researchers will present for 15 minutes each followed by a Question & Answer session during which time audience members can engage with presenters. A representative from Rocky Mountain National Park will be available to discuss applications of the research. Webinar topics include Visitor Use Management, Species Conservation, Riparian Ecosystem Restoration, and Fire and Forests.
To sign up for the webinar series and to see a more detailed program schedule, as well as to learn about past research conferences, visit https://www.nps.gov/rlc/continentaldivide/research-conference.htm
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Online registration for the webinar series is currently open. This webinar series is free and open to the public.
Rocky Mountain National Park hosts one of the largest research programs in the National Park Service, with nearly 100 research permits active each year. Park research partners come from other federal agencies, the State of Colorado, and universities around the world.
Each webinar will focus on one resource topic. Researchers will present for 15 minutes each followed by a Question & Answer session during which time audience members can engage with presenters. A representative from Rocky Mountain National Park will be available to discuss applications of the research. Webinar topics include Visitor Use Management, Species Conservation, Riparian Ecosystem Restoration, and Fire and Forests.
To sign up for the webinar series and to see a more detailed program schedule, as well as to learn about past research conferences, visit https://www.nps.gov/rlc/continentaldivide/research-conference.htm
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Friday, February 4, 2022
Colorado Parks and Wildlife releases Backcountry Search and Rescue Study to strengthen rescue operations in Colorado
Through the passage of Senate Bill 21-245, Colorado Parks and Wildlife was directed to conduct a study with stakeholders to identify challenges within the existing volunteer-based Backcountry Search and Rescue (BSAR) program in Colorado. For more information, read the recently released Backcountry Search and Rescue Study.
The study evaluated a number of issues faced by the state’s BSAR system such as coordination structure, workers’ compensation, retirement, compensation and reimbursement, equipment, funding, governmental immunity, training and public outdoor safety education. The effort also included a detailed statewide survey of BSAR volunteers’ mental and physical health needs, documenting an increased risk of burnout and serious physical and mental health concerns faced by BSAR team members, and a pilot project to address these challenges.
“Our staff was grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with our state partners and reflect on the successes and challenges of BSAR,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Dan Prenzlow. “This foundational understanding of the current system helped our study team think about innovative ways to modernize our processes and recommend solutions that will advance BSAR moving forward.”
“Coloradans love our mountains and open spaces, but increasing backcountry visitation is, unfortunately, pushing the volunteer responders to their limits and outpacing available funding,” said the Director of Colorado Search and Rescue Association Jeff Sparhawk. “This study is incredibly valuable because it allows us to be proactive and look to the future to create a more sustainable system for all of Colorado.”
On average, Colorado BSAR organizations respond to more than 3,600 search and rescue incidents– more than any other state. At this point, roughly 2,800 unpaid BSAR responders, who serve on almost 50 nonprofit BSAR teams, give over 500,000 person-hours annually without compensation for training and responding to BSAR incidents. The study also determined that BSAR volunteers spend an average of $1,587 annually out-of-pocket on equipment, fuel, and other expenses to respond to incidents.
“As those responsible for coordinating BSAR on a local level, additional funding and support from the state level are incredibly helpful to allow our volunteer teams to conduct search and rescue operations,” said Rio Blanco Sheriff Anthony Mazzola. “Collaboration across the state on backcountry safety efforts will help ensure our responders have the equipment they need when venturing into dangerous terrain on rescue missions.”
This newly completed study will fundamentally change how backcountry search and rescue operations are supported by the state and Colorado Parks and Wildlife in future years.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
The study evaluated a number of issues faced by the state’s BSAR system such as coordination structure, workers’ compensation, retirement, compensation and reimbursement, equipment, funding, governmental immunity, training and public outdoor safety education. The effort also included a detailed statewide survey of BSAR volunteers’ mental and physical health needs, documenting an increased risk of burnout and serious physical and mental health concerns faced by BSAR team members, and a pilot project to address these challenges.
“Our staff was grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with our state partners and reflect on the successes and challenges of BSAR,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Dan Prenzlow. “This foundational understanding of the current system helped our study team think about innovative ways to modernize our processes and recommend solutions that will advance BSAR moving forward.”
“Coloradans love our mountains and open spaces, but increasing backcountry visitation is, unfortunately, pushing the volunteer responders to their limits and outpacing available funding,” said the Director of Colorado Search and Rescue Association Jeff Sparhawk. “This study is incredibly valuable because it allows us to be proactive and look to the future to create a more sustainable system for all of Colorado.”
On average, Colorado BSAR organizations respond to more than 3,600 search and rescue incidents– more than any other state. At this point, roughly 2,800 unpaid BSAR responders, who serve on almost 50 nonprofit BSAR teams, give over 500,000 person-hours annually without compensation for training and responding to BSAR incidents. The study also determined that BSAR volunteers spend an average of $1,587 annually out-of-pocket on equipment, fuel, and other expenses to respond to incidents.
“As those responsible for coordinating BSAR on a local level, additional funding and support from the state level are incredibly helpful to allow our volunteer teams to conduct search and rescue operations,” said Rio Blanco Sheriff Anthony Mazzola. “Collaboration across the state on backcountry safety efforts will help ensure our responders have the equipment they need when venturing into dangerous terrain on rescue missions.”
This newly completed study will fundamentally change how backcountry search and rescue operations are supported by the state and Colorado Parks and Wildlife in future years.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Southern Front Range Watershed Project Receives Joint Chiefs' Funds
The Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands San Carlos Ranger District will receive an investment through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership to help mitigate wildfire risk, protect water quality, improve wildlife habitat, and restore forest ecosystems for the Southern Front Range Watershed project over the next three years.
Forest Service staff will work with partners in the Southern Front Range Watershed Project area near Cuchara, Aguilar, Stonewall, Wetmore, Westcliffe, Beulah, and Rye in Pueblo, Custer, Huerfano and Las Animas counties. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will work with private landowners in the project area. The project is planned to decrease vegetation density and built-up plant and tree debris on public and private lands. The project is expected to improve forest health and reduce the potential for large, fast-moving fires protecting more than 12,000 full and part time residents.
“We’re working with our partners to conduct cross-boundary treatments on the landscape,” said San Carlos District Ranger Destiny Chapman. “Wildfires do not stop when jurisdiction changes, so it is important to work with our various partners to achieve effective wildfire mitigation across different landownership.”
Project partners include Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative, City of Trinidad, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Water Conservation Board, The Cuchara Foundation, Huerfano County, Huerfano County Water Conservation District, La Veta Fire Protection District, Las Animas County, National Forest Foundation, Purgatoire Water Partners, Spanish Peaks Alliance for Wildfire Protection, and Stonewall Fire Protection District.
The Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership enables the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Forest Service to collaborate with agricultural producers, forest landowners and other partners to invest in conservation and restoration at a scale big enough to make a difference. For more information about the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, please visit this website.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
Forest Service staff will work with partners in the Southern Front Range Watershed Project area near Cuchara, Aguilar, Stonewall, Wetmore, Westcliffe, Beulah, and Rye in Pueblo, Custer, Huerfano and Las Animas counties. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will work with private landowners in the project area. The project is planned to decrease vegetation density and built-up plant and tree debris on public and private lands. The project is expected to improve forest health and reduce the potential for large, fast-moving fires protecting more than 12,000 full and part time residents.
“We’re working with our partners to conduct cross-boundary treatments on the landscape,” said San Carlos District Ranger Destiny Chapman. “Wildfires do not stop when jurisdiction changes, so it is important to work with our various partners to achieve effective wildfire mitigation across different landownership.”
Project partners include Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative, City of Trinidad, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado Water Conservation Board, The Cuchara Foundation, Huerfano County, Huerfano County Water Conservation District, La Veta Fire Protection District, Las Animas County, National Forest Foundation, Purgatoire Water Partners, Spanish Peaks Alliance for Wildfire Protection, and Stonewall Fire Protection District.
The Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership enables the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Forest Service to collaborate with agricultural producers, forest landowners and other partners to invest in conservation and restoration at a scale big enough to make a difference. For more information about the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, please visit this website.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park
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